Exemplary embodiments herein generally relate to a vehicle seat assembly, and more particularly to a center bolster having a hinged portion for a center ISO-FIX attachment of an associated child restraint.
A known vehicle seat assembly includes a pair of outboard seats, each outboard seat having a seatback connected to a seat base or cushion. The seatback of each outboard seat can be moved between an upright, seated position and a folded, stowed position. A stationary center bolster or cushion can be provided between the outboard seats. Typically, a mid-row seating assembly for a vehicle with an aggressive center bolster styling has complex close-out designs for the center ISO-FIX (i.e., the international standard for attachment points for child safety restraints, such as child safety seats or booster seats, in vehicles) attachment of a child restraint to the center bolster. Particularly, as shown in FIG. 9, a center bolster 100 for a mid-row seating assembly includes a seat base or cushion 102 and a seatback 104. Center anchorages or anchor bars 110 are provided for mounting a child safety restraint 112 to the center bolster 100. The child restraint includes side tethers 120 for releasably engaging the anchor bars 110 and a top tether 122 for releasably engaging a top tether anchorage (not shown) provided on the seatback 104 or elsewhere on the vehicle. In the known mid-row seating assembly, it is necessary to mount the center anchor bars 110 on the seat back 104 instead of a support component where the lower anchorages for the outboard seats are mounted. In the secured position, a forward portion of the child restraint 112 is located above the center bolster 110 which can cause the child restraint to at least partially rock or move on the center bolster. Further, the center anchor bars 110 must remain above the seat cushion 102 which may require the anchor bars to be mounted to the seatback 104. This will require reinforcement adding cost and weight to the seatback. Thus, the center ISO-FIX attachment demonstrates many challenges both to seat design and to trim cover/close-out design. For this reason, many vehicle manufacturers remove the center ISO-FIX attachment entirely. If the center ISO-FIX attachment is included in the seat assembly, expensive plastic garnishes, trim cover slits, or flaps are commonly used as close-out designs to conceal the center anchor bars.